Friday, May 31, 2013

www.euronews.com - World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It aims to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. Another intended purpose is to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to the negative health effects of using tobacco products, which currently lead to an estimated 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually.The member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry. Each year May 31 is observed as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), but do we actually understand its importance? Many smokers pledge to quit smoking on this day and forget it just the next day?According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) , the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. It kills nearly six million people a year, of whom more than five million are from direct tobacco use, while more than 600,000 of tobacco’s victims are non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco and this accounts for one in 10 adult deaths. Up to half of current users will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease. Nearly 80% of the more than one billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco users who die prematurely deprive their families of income, raise the cost of health care and hinder economic development.

Since 1987, today May 31 is celebrated as "World No Tobacco Day". The event features enthusiasts and detractors, but is an opportunity to send messages, and encourage the Smoking Control Agreement, stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is called on countries to prohibit all forms of advertising , smoking promotion and sponsorship to help reduce the number of consumers of tobacco. Tobacco consumption kills nearly 6 million people each year. Health organizations have renewed today the crusade against smokers and in favor of the right not to inhale passively and for compliance with the legislation prohibiting this undue practice into public places.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

My father told me when he was young, nobody had any idea that cigarettes were bad. It was fashionable to smoke cigarettes. One movie star always had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The way he did it the whole of America was trying to imitate. He was such a sex symbol and such a handsome heroic person. His style became the fashion. ... but he died of cancer of the lips. So doctors began coming out and saying, ‘Cigarettes are going to kill you. Stop Smoking!’ When that message came out cigarette smoking became more popular among the young people. Because they are trying to prove to themselves, “I am daring. I am fearless. I don’t care if I am risking my life. I am going to do it to be cool. Yes I know it will kill me.” It’s so foolish. It’s just the example of mentality of material existence. We are not willing to listen to good advice.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

www.nydailynews.com - A
newborn Chinese baby was rescued from a toilet pipe after he was
flushed away by his parents, state TV reports. Chinese firefighters had
to cut out the pipe and bring it to the hospital, where the 2-day-old
was rescued. They found the tiny boy lodged in a sewage pipe below a
squat toilet in an apartment building in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. His
placenta was still attached. Firefighters sawed out an L-shaped section
wide on Saturday afternoon after neighbors reported hearing crying.The
baby boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors cut around him
to pull out the abandoned infant. The 2-day-old child - named Baby No.
59 from the number of his hospital incubator - was reported in stable
condition.

News
of the ordeal prompted an outpouring from strangers who came to the
hospital with diapers, baby clothes, powdered milk and offers to adopt
the child. Despites the offers to adopt Baby No. 59, it was explained
the boy would be handed over to social services if his parents do not
claim him. Police are treating the case as an attempted homicide, and
are looking for the mother and anyone else involved in the incident. The
landlord of the building in Pujiang County said it was unlikely the
birth took place in the toilet room because there was no evidence of
blood and she was not aware of any recent pregnancies among her tenants.
The incident has sparked outrage on China's Twitter-like service Sina
Weibo. "The parents who did this have hearts even filthier than that
sewage pipe," wrote one user.

Firefighters
in China have rescued a newborn baby boy lodged inside a sewage pipe
leading off a toilet in an apartment building in Jinhua city, Zhejiang
province. Firefighters and doctors worked together using pliers to cut
the pipe apart to get to the baby, who is now in stable condition. China
has strict family planning rules, with the one-child policy in place
for more than three decades. Couples can face fines if they violate the
policy. There have also been cases of female newborns abandoned because
of a traditional preference for sons. As we have repeatedly seen,
nothing can harm you, if the Lord wants to save you.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

We
may have many enemies who may be very powerful fighters, but if we
remain under the protection of Krsna, no one can do us any harm. Rakhe
krsna mare ke mare krsna rakhe ke. “He whom Krsna protects, no one can
kill, but if Krsna wants to kill someone, no one can give him
protection.” For example, suppose a very rich man is suffering from
disease. He may have a first-class physician, medicine, and hospital
available for him, but still he may die. This means that Krsna desired,
“This man must die.” Therefore, the so-called protective methods we have
devised will be useless if Krsna does not desire us to live. ...
Therefore, if God wants to kill someone, no one can give him protection,
and if God wants to protect someone, no one can kill him. Rakhe krsna mare ke mare krsna rakhe ke.

Monday, May 27, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday expressed
extreme concern over the increasing risk of the spillover of the Syrian
unrest to Lebanon, urging respect for the national sovereignty and
territorial integrity of all countries in the region. "The
secretary-general is deeply concerned by the acknowledged increased
participation in the fighting in Syria by Hezbollah, as well as by the
risk of spillover in Lebanon, which has witnessed growing tension over
the past week," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson. "All in the region should act responsibly and work towards lowering rhetoric and calming tensions in the region."

Two
rockets hit the Hezbollah-controlled southern part of Lebanese capital
city on Sunday, wounding five people. The attack came a day after
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah overtly defended his group's
backing to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As
preparations are ongoing for the international conference on Syria, Ban
called on all countries, organizations and groups immediately to cease
supporting the violence inside Syria and instead to use their influence
to "promote a political solution to Syria's tragedy," said the
statement."The
secretary-general has consistently opposed the transfer of arms and
fighters from outside Syria to either side inside Syria. He has
repeatedly urged respect for the national sovereignty and territorial
integrity of all countries in the region," the statement said.

The
UN chief reiterated the "paramount importance" of preventing a
dangerous spillover of the conflict across borders and called for strict
adherence to the Baabda Declaration, which was approved almost a year
ago and called for keeping Lebanon neutral from regional tensions and
crisis. The United States and Russia have proposed an international
peace conference to find a solution to the Syria crisis, which started
in March 2011 and has killed more than 70,000 people, left 6.8 million
people in need and driven 1.5 million Syrians as refugees abroad. Why so
much violence? Who protects civilians and innocent people?

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The
present-day world appears to be running fast towards destruction. As
per Indian scriptural evidence, the conditioned souls are enveloped by
Lord’s illusory energy consisting of three primal qualities - Sattva,
Rajah, and Tamah. ‘Tamah’ indicates tendency to commit vice or to
inflict injury. In fact, Tamah tendency has now engulfed the whole
world and is spreading over like fire and showing its most monstrous
destructive ugly appearance. The sagacious persons are bewildered to
find any solution of this terrible tendency of violence. ... Practically
it is demonstrated now that the human beings have become the greatest
enemy of their own species. It is the greatest shame of such human
beings to claim the false vanity of being the best amongst created
beings.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

www.boldsky.com - You
might have heard the greetings of 'Jummah Mubarak' many a times. But do
you know what it means? This greeting is usually heard on Fridays which
according to Islam is the holiest day of the week. In Hinduism various
days of the week are considered to be holy. But in monotheistic
religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism, there is one special
holy day in the week. In Christianity and Judaism, both of which are
Abrahamic religions, Sunday is the day of Sabbath or rest. It is the day
when Christians go to Church. Similarly
in Islam, Friday is the day for prayer and festivities. It is the first
day of the week in these Islamic countries; however, very few people
know the spiritual significance of Friday in Islam.

According
to Islamic scriptures, the holy prophet Mohammed proclaimed that Friday
is the holiest day on which the sun rises. The prophet went to explain
his proclamation by saying that God created the first man on Earth, Adam
on the same day. Adam was also expelled from paradise on a fateful
Friday due to his crime of passion. It was a Friday on which God forgave
his son Adam and restored him to this Earth. According to Islamic
scriptures, Quyamat or the day of destruction of this Universe will also
be a Friday. Devout
Muslims are expected to pray or read the Namaz five times in a day. It
is not compulsory for them to go to mosque everyday. But all the Muslims
are expected to be at the mosque for Namaz on Friday evening. This is
the prayer of Jummah which is usually conducted by a Muezzin.

In
many religions there is a special day of the week that is considered
holy. In many Islamic countries, Friday is set as weekly off. Anwesha,
author of the article, explains why Friday is the Holy Day of the week
for Islam. "Friday in Islam is a day for special prayer and festivities
followed by it," she says. Special prayers are offered by Muslims on
Friday. "In large Mosques like the Jamma Masjid in Delhi, crowd of
thousands gathers to offer their special Friday prayers," she notes. The
revealed scripture of the Mohammedans is the Koran, which accepts the
fact that ultimately there is only one God and that the Lord is the
Supreme Truth worshipable by everyone.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Śri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "The
Koran has certainly established impersonalism, but at the end it
refutes that impersonalism and establishes the personal God." ... "No
conditioned soul can get out of material bondage without serving the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Love at His lotus feet is the ultimate
goal of life."According
to the Mohammedan scripture, without Evadat, offering prayers at a
mosque or elsewhere five times daily (Namaz), one cannot be successful
in life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out that in the revealed
scripture of the Mohammedans, love of Godhead is the ultimate goal.
Karma-yoga and jnana-yoga are certainly described in the Koran, but
ultimately the Koran states that the ultimate goal is the offering of
prayers to the Supreme Person (Evadat).

Thursday, May 23, 2013

http://shine.yahoo.com - Middle-aged
women battling depression may be twice as likely to have a stroke as
women in the same age group who are not depressed, a new study finds.
"Our findings, however, suggest that depression may be a stronger risk
factor for stroke in mid-aged women than was previously thought," lead
researcher Caroline Jackson, an epidemiologist in the School of
Population Health at the University of Queensland in Australia, said in a
statement. The study focused on women aged 47 to 52.A
stroke occurs when damage to an artery deprives the brain of oxygenated
blood, causing brain cells to die and allowing toxic chemicals to build
up. Approximately 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke
each year (75 % of stroke victims are 65 or older).

Jackson
and her colleague Gita Mishra, a professor of life course epidemiology
at the University of Queensland, looked at data from 10,547 women aged
47 to 52 years, none of whom had a history of stroke. About 24 % of the
women surveyed said that they suffered from depression and, during the
course of the study 117 of them had a stroke for the first time.Jackson
and Mishra found that depressed women were 2.4 times more likely to
have a stroke than women who did not say they were depressed.After
eliminating other risk factors - including age, socioeconomic status,
high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle
choices like smoking, drinking, and exercising - middle-aged women with
depression were still at higher risk for stroke than others in the
group.

This study did find a link between depression and stroke. "Depression
is a strong risk factor for stroke in mid-aged women, with the
association partially explained by lifestyle and physiological factors,"
researchers concluded. "We need to carry out further research to
identify the mechanism by which depression affects stroke risk,"
researcher Caroline Jackson said in a statement. The stroke is the third
leading cause of death in the U.S., and it kills about 150,000 people
annually. Life is very difficult, there are problems at each step; but
the biggest problems and their corresponding solutions are found within
ourselves.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Depression
is the result of not knowing what to do or what our true identity is.
Do not think that depression can be reversed through the invention of
new psychiatric drugs. Evil must be attacked at its very root, where it
is very difficult because most depressed people are not willing to
question their modus vivendi, or their concepts about existence. ...
Depression is not an incurable disease, but our materialistic society is
far from knowing how to cure it, because in essence, it is itself the
cause of the disease. The cure resides in the timeless, deep wisdom that
is found in the company of those who have dedicated their lives to
spiritual understandings and practices.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

www.washingtonpost.com - Two
of the 24 people known to have been killed in the tornado that
pulverized a suburb of Oklahoma City on Monday were infants. Seven of
the dead were 8- and 9-year-old youngsters, the medical examiner’s
office said, apparently students at the Plaza Towers Elementary School.
The school was among hundreds of buildings reduced to rubble by the
storm that devastated Moore, Okla., a city of 55,000 about 11 miles
south of downtown Oklahoma City. Fourteen
storm victims were adults. One of those adults has yet to be
identified, said Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s
office. The names of seven others were withheld because family members
have not yet been informed of their deaths.

Rescue
crews are still searching through the remains of collapsed buildings,
and officials have said repeatedly that the death toll from the tornado
could rise. But Elliott said the number of bodies transported to the
medical examiner’s office - and the “official number of confirmed
deaths” - remained at 24 as of Wednesday morning. Most of the people
died from blunt-force trauma. A few were asphyxiated. More than 200
people were injured by the tornado, and hundreds of homes, businesses
and other buildings were destroyed. Preliminary damage estimates are
running as high as $1 billion. Hundreds
of other children at the school survived the tornado, huddling with
their teachers in bathrooms, fleeing the building with frantic parents
or seeking safety by pressing against interior walls.

In
Moore, near Oklahoma, USA, search and rescue operations were winding
down Wednesday as this battered, exhausted city mourned its dead and
turned its attention to rebuilding for the future. "When the winds died
down and the debris settled following Monday’s tornado in Oklahoma,
residents began scrambling to find loved ones amid the rubble of homes
and businesses and at least two schools. For some, that search ended in
searing grief," published Jennifer Preston at The Lede blog. Why do so
terrible tornadoes occur, while sometimes they are just strong winds?
Why should we endure these calamities? Why are we here?

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Lord
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the mood of a devotee. In the form of
Radharani, the Highest Guru, Nandanandana Krishna Himself appeared.
Sanatana Goswami asked Him questions such as, "Who and what am I? Why am
I burning from the three-fold afflictions [miseries caused by one's own
body and mind, miseries caused by other living entities and miseries
caused by the demigods in the form of natural disasters such as
earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and so on]? What is the ultimate object
and how are we to get it?" When we put these questions to a sadguru,
then the time for emancipation from the entanglement of this non-eternal
sphere has come. It was declared by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila
Sanatana Goswami. You must have these types of questions in mind.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

www.indiadivine.org
- Indian civilization has surprised academicians time and
again with simple age old techniques for solving complex problems.
Difficult problems or huge sums can often be solved immediately by the
Vedic method or Vedic Mathematics technique, which is derived from the
Ganita Sutra in the Vedas. Vedic Mathematics is the name given to the
ancient system of Mathematics which was rediscovered from the Vedas
between 1911 and 1918 by Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji (1884 - 1960). In
the beginning of the 20th century, when there was a great interest in
various Sanskrit texts in Europe, some scholars ridiculed certain texts
were titled GANITA SUTRA, which means mathematics. The European scholars
could not decipher any mathematics in the translations and therefore
dismissed the texts as rubbish.

Bharati
Krsna wrote sixteen volumes expounding the Vedic system but these were
unaccountably lost and when the loss was confirmed in his final years he
wrote a single book - Vedic Mathematics. It was published in 1965, five
years after his death. According to his research all of mathematics is
based on sixteen Sutras, or word - formulae. For example, ‘Vertically
and Crosswise’ is one of these Sutras. These formulae describe the way
the mind naturally works and are therefore a great help in directing the
student to the appropriate method of solution.Perhaps
the most striking feature of the Vedic system is its coherence. Instead
of a hotchpotch of unrelated techniques the whole system is beautifully
interrelated and unified. This unifying quality is very satisfying; it
makes mathematics easy and enjoyable and encourages innovation.

Bharati
Krsna, who himself was a scholar of Sanskrit, Mathematics, History and
Philosophy, studied these texts and after lengthy and careful
investigation was able to reconstruct the mathematics of the Vedas. The
author of the article, the Editor of IndiaDivine.org, explains that
"These striking and beautiful Vedic methods are just a part of a
complete system of mathematics, which is far more systematic than the
modern system. Vedic mathematics manifests the coherent and unified
structure of mathematics and the methods are complimentary, direct and
easy." In ancient India, mathematics served as a bridge between
understanding material reality and the spiritual conception.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Spiritually
advanced cultures were not ignorant of the principles of mathematics,
but they saw no necessity to explore those principles beyond that which
was helpful in the advancement of God realization. ... One of the
foremost exponents of Vedic math, the late Bharati Krishna Tirtha
Maharaja, author of Vedic Mathematics, has offered a glimpse into the
sophistication of Vedic math. Drawing inspiration from the Atharva-veda,
Tirtha Maharaja points to many sutras (codes) or aphorisms which appear
to apply to every branch of mathematics: arithmetic, algebra, geometry
(plane and solid), trigonometry (plane and spherical), conics
(geometrical and analytical), astronomy, calculus (differential and
integral), etc.

Monday, May 20, 2013

www.sciencerecorder.com - A
new study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that if nothing
is done to curb climate change, the impact on animal and plant life
could be catastrophic. The study, which comprises of researchers from
the U.K., Columbia and Australia, examined the impact of climate change
(specifically rising temperature) on nearly 50, 000 different species.
The team carried out climate modeling and examined three main factors:
climate sensitivity, ocean mixing and climate-carbon feedback that
amplifies the temperature.By
mapping the areas that would remain suitable for species habitation
scientists were able to determine that there would be a great habitat
loss unless mitigating factors emerge.

According
to the report, global warming will destroy over half the habitat of
plant life and a third of the habitat of animal life, a transition that
may occur as a tipping point or over long periods. Temperatures are
predicted to rise seven degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 due to global
warming, according the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The rise in temperature is largely due to burning fossil fuels, which
retain heat and warm the atmosphere.Over
the past century, global temperatures have risen about 1.4 degrees
Fahrenheit, according data presented by the National Academy of
Sciences. If this temperature rise happens at the rate predicated, large
range contractions can be expected among common and widespread species.
The changes would likely lead to the extinction of some 34 % of animal
species and 57 % of plant species, say scientists.

More than half
of common plant species and a third of animals could see a serious
decline in their habitat range because of climate change. The reason for
the massive decline is largely due to the rapid change in temperature,
which many species will struggle to adapt to over the course of just a
few years. “Global-scale biodiversity will be significantly reduced if
temperatures rise more than 2C and it would impoverish the biosphere and
the ecosystem services it provides,” says Rachel Warren. We must
respect and protect our Mother Earth. The sacred texts of the Hinduism
contains many references to the worship of the Divine in Nature.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Millions
of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers,
mountains, trees, animals and the earth. Hinduism is a remarkably
diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and regional
manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important
themes emerge: • The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the
goddess, and must be treated with respect. • The five elements - space,
air, fire, water and earth - are the foundation of an interconnected
web of life. • Dharma - often translated as “duty” - can be
reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth. •
Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies. •
Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma.

Friday, May 17, 2013

www.deseretnews.com
- Preeya Prakash is difficult to define - even for Preeya
Prakash. "I consider myself an American," she said during a recent break
in classes at the University of Utah, where she is a 24-year-old
graduate student with a BA in neuroscience from the University of
Southern California. "And I'm a Utahn. I was born here in Salt Lake
City. I have lived here all my life. I've got the accent and
everything." She is also Indian. Her parents were both born and raised
in India, and her hair, skin and handsome features bear the genetic
imprint of a country in which she has never actually lived."When
people ask me, 'Where are you from?' I always say, 'Well, I was born
here,'" she says with characteristic wit and good humor. "And then they
look at me and say, 'Well, yeah, but where are you ... you know ...
from?'

Things
get a little more complicated for Preeya when you throw her Hindu
beliefs and culture into the definitional equation. "Culturally, I am
Hindu - and a pretty traditional Hindu, at that," she said while
relaxing in one of the Marriott Library lounges. For Preeya, growing up
Hindu in Utah has meant being part of a decided minority - racially,
culturally and religiously. According
to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life, Utah's 9,000 Hindus comprise .5 percent
of the state's population - a number consistent with the percentage of
Hindus throughout the United States."I
credit my parents for teaching me how to balance our Hindu culture with
the culture of Utah," Preeya said. "We were Americans, we were Utahns,
we were Indians, we were Hindu. We were all of these things, and we
embraced all of them fully and completely."

Preeya
Prakash is a student at the University of Utah (USA) and she also
attends religious ceremonies at the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah in
South Jordan. “Shecredits her parents with
helping her figure out how to balance all of those cultures and find
peace and happiness in her life,” says Joseph Walker the author of this
article. “For me, I kind of look to my faith as a guideline for how I
should lead my life. It’s the part of me that keeps me grounded, that
tells me who I am and that I am part of something bigger than myself,”
she says. Hindus living in foreign countries must be examples of good
citizens. Helping and serving others, whatever their religion, is the
moral duty of every Hindu.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Hindus
are at the threshold of a major transformation. After centuries of
subjugation, they are now making bold and mammoth progress in various
fields. ... The future decades may be challenging for Hindus in many
ways. Synthesizing modern science with traditional religious activities
may bring forth golden opportunities previously unimagined. Hindus must
not fear or pull away from the new world of technology. Instead, they
must use the same to enhance and adorn their spiritual and religious
pursuits. ... Hindus in foreign countries must conduct themselves as
virtual ambassadors of India. They may serve and love their new country
with complete sincerity and honesty without disrupting the roots with
the country of their origin.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

www.indiadivine.org - It
has become quite popular nowadays to speak about mystical experiences
and "siddhis". Most yoga and meditation groups speak of them, along with
other esoteric blabber such as the raising of kundalini, opening of
chakras, and other things which no one has actually experienced. On one
side we have new age gurus speaking of siddhis very cheaply as though
they are as common as sand on a beach, and on the other hand we have
"rationalists" who discount siddhis all together as mere fantasy.
Siddhis are a reality, and the science behind them has been passed down
from time immemorial by the rishis and preserved in the Vedic texts. In
actuality nothing is mystic. Everything functions according to natural
laws. The rishis (sages), by virtue of their expanded consciousness,
understood the functioning of matter on the subtle levels of sound and
mind, (however) they did not give much importance to material powers and
perfections.The
rishis were not interested in acquiring wealth, power, fame, etc. Their
aim was much higher. How else can we explain the countless yogis,
jnanis, tapasvis, siddhas, and rishis who dwell in the sacred realm of
the Himalayas. High in the mountains, surrounded by a forest covered in
snow. The rishis are there even today meditating on the banks of the
Ganges. What keeps them there, living in apparent poverty? Are they
fools, are they mad? No, on the contrary, the world is mad and we are
all fools. For we are chasing after the broken glass of sense enjoyment,
while they are offering us the diamonds of spiritual bliss. The
rishis (sages) are calling to us. We must heed their call. Whether we
are in the city or in the forest, it makes no difference. Internally we
must all become rishis and sadhus - transcendentalists of the concrete
jungle. "Be situated in your place and attain the goal of life," this is
the message of the rishis and the Upanishads - sthane sthitah shruti gatam tanu-van-manobhih.

The
Indian learned sages, or Rishis, performed austerities, contemplated,
and meditated, seeking solutions for the eternal problems of mankind.
"True transcendentalists have no interest in mundane material life,"
points Prabhu Jahnava Nitai Das, author of the article. "The aim of
those following spiritual discipline is to become free from the desire
to lord over material nature. Those seeking mystic perfections are
motivated by their desire to control matter, subtle and gross." Srila
Prabhupada has explained in Bg 6.20-23 that even those yogis who are
attracted by the siddhis are not perfectly situated.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There
is much rejectable element in the books on enjoyment-hunting, karma,
jnaana, yoga or devotion mixed with these. ... If you read other books
than the Bhagavatam you come under the influence of the processes of
karma and jnaana, pleasure and pain, birth and death. You may get dharma
(punya), artha (wealth) and kaama (fulfillment of desire). One,
desirous of emancipation (moksha), may renounce the worldly life, but
one such does not serve God. It is only the devotees that do it. God is
not served even by the practice of astaanga-yoga which gives you siddhis
or vidbhutis like animaa (power to be infinitesimal), laghimaa (power
to be as light as hydrogen), etc. not to speak of the salvationist who
may want to get rid of the weal and woe of the worldly life and to be
the recipient of enjoyment in the negative form.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

www.reuters.com - Palestinians
clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday
during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba
(Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and
become refugees. A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the
Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused
no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no
immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.Protesters
skirmished with Israeli forces outside a refugee camp near the West
Bank city of Hebron and at a prison near Ramallah, leaving several
Palestinians injured. Israeli police in Jerusalem scuffled with
Palestinian protesters, tossing stun grenades and making several arrests.

Thousands
also rallied in the main square of Ramallah, the Palestinians' de facto
capital while Jerusalem remains under Israeli control, holding up
placards with the names of villages depopulated in 1948 and old keys,
symbols of lost homes. Arab states failed in a 1948 war to stop the Jews
settling in Palestine, who cited biblical ties to the land and a need
for a Jewish state, which up to that time was under British colonial
control. U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to the region on Tuesday in
another bid to revive peace talks frozen since 2010. But a resolution
remains elusive and many Palestinians cling to a desire for refugees and
descendants to return to ancestral lands now in Israel - an idea Israel
rejects, saying it would spell the end of the Jewish state.

The
65th anniversary of Nakba Day was commemorated today by Palestinians
throughout Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian
diaspora. The “Nakba (the catastrophe) Day” marks the day Israel was
founded. In Palestinian towns, at exactly noon a memorial siren was
sounded, its length 65 seconds, one second for every year Israel has
existed. In the afternoon hours, Palestinian youths began clashing with
IDF soldiers. They hurled stones at security forces who returned fire
with riot dispersing equipment. Clashes are taking place among people
and nations due to our mistaken sense of propriety; in fact we are not
the owners of anything in this world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Śrīla
Prabhupāda said we must teach all over the world that Lord Krishna is
the Owner and the Supreme Enjoyer. The sense of ownership is extremely
dangerous since it confuses us in our relationship with God. When we
believe to be the owners of something, we believe to be the enjoyers of
that, for this reason to believe that something belongs to me is a great
illusion; nothing is ours, not even our own body, that to say of
others, or the things related to the body, such as children, family,
money, facilities, etc.. Krishna often repeats in the Bhagavad-Gita that
we must understand that nothing is ours, everything belongs to Him. ...
Krishna says: “When you understand that I am the owner of all,
everything belongs to Me and I am the enjoyer, then even you'll be My
owner and enjoyer.”

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

www.mywesttexas.com
- In an effort to promote peace and tolerance, leaders from
different religious backgrounds met last month in Midland, Texas, USA
for an interfaith discussion. St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church played host
to leaders of the Baptist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Mormon faiths, and
more than a hundred listeners. All of the religious leaders explained
about their faith and what role it plays in the day-to-day lives of
people all over the world. The Muslim faith
was represented on stage by Imam Wazir Ali, of Houston. "It was the
plan of God that the world is a pluralistic place," said the iman Ali.
"What he wants us to do instead of looking at pluralism and diversity as
a problem, is look at it as an opportunity to benefit from the genius
of other human beings and other cultures."

The
leaders spoke about how the different faiths can co-exist peaceably in
today's world to complex issues such as what each religion teaches about
death, resurrection and an afterlife. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami,
of Kauai's Hindu Monastery, explained that his faith does not teach
about resurrection. The resurrection is such a foreign concept in the
Hindu faith that he took time to explain the basis of it to people in
the audience who might not recognize the term or know its meaning."This
idea of the resurrection is focused on what's going to happen to the
body, ... where the Hindu idea is focused on not the body, but the
soul," he said. Also participating in the discussion were the Rev.
Randel Everett, of First Baptist Church; Rabbi Holy Levin Cohn, of
Temple Beth El in Odessa; and Jerry Zant, stake president of the Odessa
Texas Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Much
of the messages - from all religions - had tones of tolerance, love,
acceptance and harmony. Despite differing views on the specifics, all
leaders seemed in agreement on the existence of a higher power and that
power's desire for humans to live peacefully and in harmony, always
caring for the needs of others. The most important thing that comes from
the annual Interfaith Event is the effort for “sharing of knowledge and
ideas, a quest for the truth,” said Adam Syed, a member of the Muslim
Association of West Texas. We should encourage tolerance and reduce
misconceptions of unfamiliar religions and traditions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

A
sense of common interest can be fostered among individuals, if they
know that they are inter-connected, are parts of one Organic System and
are the sons and daughters of one Father. Here is the task of all
religions; to teach people that all beings of the world are closely
inter-related. Although steadfastness or firm belief in God (Nistha)
according to some particular faith and eligibility of the individual is
congenial for healthy spiritual growth of every individual, religious
bigotry which begets enmity is condemnable, as it is against the real
interest of the individual and society. Real religion teaches love for
one another.